A year after its approval by the 15-member body, the Kenyan-led peacekeeping force has only managed to deploy less than half of the troops pledged by that African nation and others such as Jamaica, Benin, Chad, Bangladesh, and Suriname.

The project received the green light in October 2023 as a non-UN mission mandated under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, through which the Security Council authorizes the use of force after all other measures to maintain international peace and security have been exhausted.

Then Haiti’s Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Geneus described the decision as an expression of solidarity with a population in a complex situation.

A few weeks earlier, former Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had asked the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to address the “structural and multidimensional” crisis the country is facing.

The mechanism aims to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, including areas difficult to access due to gang activity, and its funding was established through contributions from regional organizations and member states.

In addition to delays in its deployment and lack of funding, recent statements by US officials confirm their interest in a structural change that could transform the MSS Mission into a UN peacekeeping force.

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